Today’s Bookanista recommendation is The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World by Christine Fonseca…
From Goodreads: Finding your unique voice in a noisy world can be hard—very hard. But not if you have a great guide! The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World is a must-read for girls in grades 6–8 as they enter the tumultuous world of adolescence. Packed with fun worksheets and quizzes, as well as stories from older girls and women, The Girl Guide covers everything a teenage girl needs to know on the journey toward her own identity. Proven strategies for dealing with stress management, confronting relational aggression, being safe online, navigating the changing mother-daughter relationship, and more make this the ultimate guide for any girl to get through the teen years and discover her unique point of view in the world.
This book is too cool — I totally wish I’d had a copy when I was growing up. The Girl Guide is chock full of advice and anecdotes and quizzes and worksheets meant to help girls find their “own unique voices.”
When I was a teenager, I loved books and magazines that had specific places blocked off for me to write down my thoughts and reflections. The Girl Guide has tons blank charts and empty bubbles and open lines for lists — it made me want to grab a pink feathery pen and get to work! As if that’s not enough, this book includes all sorts of strategies for coping, living confidently, finding and giving social acceptance, and leading a healthy lifestyle, all discussed in clear, well-organized chapters. But my very favorite parts of The Girl Guide are the quotes from real teenagers, and the bits of advice offered by mothers, pastors, youth leaders, and writers like Gretchen McNeil, Jessi Kirby, and Stasia Ward Kehoe.
I’m going to make sure I have a copy of The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed Up World on hand to give my daughter when she’s in middle school. Not only is this book all kinds of fun, but it educates girls without coming across as preachy or stiff. It reads more like a conversation with a friend than the self-help manual you might expect. If there’s a teenage girl in your life, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Girl Guide to give to her.
Check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to today!
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Tracy Banghart is thrilled by 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
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Carrie Harris and Elana Johnson reveal the cover of
SALLY SLICK & THE STEEL SYNDICATE by Carrie Harris
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AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK by Joe Schreiber
Jessica Love joins the BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart book blitz – with giveaway!
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Kimberly Sabatini is touched by OUT OF REACH by Carrie Arcos
katyupperman.com 
I agree with you – this book is so cool! I really wish it had been around when I was in middle school. If I have a daughter, she’ll definitely be getting a copy when she hits her teenage years! (BTW, LOVE the pic and you and your daughter! You’re both so adorable!)
Aww, thank you, Tracy! And yes… Totally agree with you regarding THE GIRL GUIDE. I would have devoured it in middle school. 🙂
This book looks like it’s a lot of fun and a great resource. Too bad they don’t have a boy version I could pass off to my son!
I wonder if there is something comprable for boys? It would be a great resource! 🙂
Ooh, even though I’m a little old for this, I think I’m going to check it out! I absolutely loved books with quizzes and worksheets during my MG years, and the fact that there are anecdotes from writers is even better. Thanks for putting this on my radar, Katy! 🙂
Of course… I hope you check it out and have as much fun with it as I did. I think a lot of THE GIRL GUIDE’s advice applies to older teens and young adults, too. It’s a fantastic resource!
This looks great. I will definitely be checking it out for my daughter! Cheers.
I hope your daughter loves it, Bethany!